MPH Aspirant

[abal93]

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Hello everyone!

I just finished my undergraduate this past June from a top 10 public university/public ivy in California with a whopping 2.9 cumulative GPA and 2.95 for the last 90 quarter units (mostly due to mental health issues and my stubbornness to not take time off) and both degrees are in the humanities and social sciences. I'm going to take a few years off to strengthen my application but I was wondering what you would all recommend me doing and how hard the GPA cut off usually is, more specifically in reference to UCI and UCLA. Would killing the GRE help in terms of seeing past my GPA? Also, I don't have anyone to ask for an academic LOR. What can I do for this?

GPA: 2.90/2.95
Experience:
Part of a group that transcribed audio from an environmental convention my professor and his TAs went to.
Currently helping my elementary school get the district's attention on an issue regarding the children's health and safety.
Teaching assistant for my university's children's center/daycare.

I'm going to start volunteering for the American Red Cross soon as a blood drive volunteer and my city's community health care center. I'm hoping this volunteer experience will eventually help me get a job in a healthcare setting.

Any advice on what I can do these next possibly 3 years would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[MolBio]

Best strategy will depend on the sub field of public health, and the sector, and to some extent the job role you will eventually target. I would do extensive soul searching on the concentration and careers you would most prefer.

- most schools purposefully leave the GPA without a hard cutoff and evaluate applications as a whole. There are plenty of anecdotes of 3.0 range getting acceptances from great schools. Beware that funding and scholarships may be scarce in your range though.

- yes, most schools use the GRE as one metric of being able to succeed academically, and high recent GRE will help somewhat counteract old low GPA.

- for academic letters in your case work with professors at your alma mater in the public health school if they have one. You may need to do an unpaid internship / volunteer but try to make it at least related to your eventual career goal (topically or methodologically).

Good luck.

Mb